Part of the problem is that Trek was always going to have to end or have some sort of overhaul after a fifth season, unless (like Teen Wolf and One Tree Hill) two or more seasons were counted as one year of the mission.
WI: The Enterprise completes its five year mission (Star Trek survives for 5 seasons)
Chapter 45: The Awesome End to Season Four
Episode updates. We will complete the 4th season today with what ITTL will be regarded as four of the best episodes of the series, which will give Star Trek an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Dramatic Series.
EPISODE 23: THE MASSACRE. Written by DC Fontana, directed by Jud Taylor. Air date: March 9, 1970. The Enterprise is asked to unravel the mystery of an Orion massacre on Orion Prime. It is initially believed that the Klingons conducted the massacre, but Spock and Sulu find no evidence of Klingon involvement when they beam to the planet's surface. The Enterprise makes contact with another Federation vessel, the Ticonderoga, whose captain is gung ho about defeating the Klingon-supplied Orion faction. We find out that the Federation is fueling one faction of Orions while the Klingons and Romulans are fueling the other Orion faction. Within the show, there is a firefight involving the Enterprise away team and the Orions which turns out to be a misunderstanding. The Enterprise crew finds out that the Ticonderoga's captain is responsible for the massacre and Kirk confronts him. A dramatic scene ensues where Kirk accuses the Ticonderoga's captain of war crimes and places him under arrest. At the end of the episode, Kirk is forced to confront Starfleet Command about their dirty dealings in the Orion civil war. Nielsen rating: 1st in time slot. The episode was critically acclaimed, with the New York Times comparing the Orions to the Vietnamese, and the major galactic powers to the major world powers (US, USSR, China). They continue, "The Massacre really reflected a light on what was going on behind the scenes in this endless war in Vietnam, including making reference to the My Lai massacre involving Lieutenant William Calley."
EPISODE 24: SHORE LEAVE II. Written by Theodore Sturgeon, directed by John Meredyth Lucas. Air date, March 16, 1970. This is a sequel to the first season episode SHORE LEAVE. IRL, Gene Roddenberry did not want to baby Theodore Sturgeon because he had a habit of writing scripts slowly, but Justman gave him the time to develop this to its conclusion before he was fired, and it was placed into production. The episode is similar to the prequel, but Kirk finally gets a chance to pound (a fake) Finnegan into the dirt, which is something he's been waiting to do since his Academy days. Nielsen rating: 2nd to Gunsmoke. Audiences who liked the first SHORE LEAVE also approved of this version.
EPISODE 25: TOMORROW WAS YESTERDAY, PART I. Written by David Gerrold, directed by Herb Wallerstein. Air date: March 23, 1970. Gerrold explores the concept of the Enterprise meeting a relic ship launched from Earth 210 years ago. The generation ship crew is locked in suspended animation, similar to Khan's augments in Space Seed (which is where Gerrold gets the idea from). Once the Enterprise awakens the generation ship crew, serious conflicts erupt between the various members of the crew. It is discovered that the generation ship was launched from Earth to escape World War III, a nuclear conflict that killed at least 600 million and left large parts of Earth in ruins. As a result, the racial and ethnic animus between the two parts of the crew never abates, and they begin to fight about petty things that are completely resolved in the 23rd century. Kirk and the crew initially decide to let the crew fight amongst themselves, but Bones persuades Kirk that they have to begin repatriating these people, otherwise "they will never evolve and become enlightened."
Nielsen rating: 1st in time slot. The Boston Globe hails Gerrold as "one of the great young television writers of this generation. He has produced several stories that will stand the test of time. His ability to weave foreshadowing and conflict in the science fiction genre is unmatched."
EPISODE 26: TOMORROW WAS YESTERDAY, PART II. (SEASON FINALE). Air date, March 30, 1970. Gerrold solves the conflict between the two factions on the generation ship in a unique way. In the story, Kirk pairs up every three members of the relic ship crew with a member of his bridge crew. Therefore, we see conflicts between all 7 of the crew plus Chapel and their 21st century counterparts. This two-parter cost quite a bit to produce because they had to get a lot of extras to play the 21st century crew, but they were able to pull it off. In one confrontation, Uhura is racially abused by a member of the relic ship crew and lays down the law, 23rd century style. Sulu also faces abuse because of his Asian descent, as the 21st century WWIII involved an unnamed Asian country as one of the major nuclear powers. Chekov wins over his relic ship crew with his sense of humor, while Spock wins his relic ship crew over with logic. Scotty displays the engineering section of the Enterprise to the crew and volunteers to teach them the technical schematics. Bones introduces them to 23rd century medicine. At the end of the episode, Kirk tells the relic crew, which has successfully been integrated into the 23rd century, that "the 23rd century is a pretty nice place to live. You'll get used to it and become valuable members of our society."
EPISODE 23: THE MASSACRE. Written by DC Fontana, directed by Jud Taylor. Air date: March 9, 1970. The Enterprise is asked to unravel the mystery of an Orion massacre on Orion Prime. It is initially believed that the Klingons conducted the massacre, but Spock and Sulu find no evidence of Klingon involvement when they beam to the planet's surface. The Enterprise makes contact with another Federation vessel, the Ticonderoga, whose captain is gung ho about defeating the Klingon-supplied Orion faction. We find out that the Federation is fueling one faction of Orions while the Klingons and Romulans are fueling the other Orion faction. Within the show, there is a firefight involving the Enterprise away team and the Orions which turns out to be a misunderstanding. The Enterprise crew finds out that the Ticonderoga's captain is responsible for the massacre and Kirk confronts him. A dramatic scene ensues where Kirk accuses the Ticonderoga's captain of war crimes and places him under arrest. At the end of the episode, Kirk is forced to confront Starfleet Command about their dirty dealings in the Orion civil war. Nielsen rating: 1st in time slot. The episode was critically acclaimed, with the New York Times comparing the Orions to the Vietnamese, and the major galactic powers to the major world powers (US, USSR, China). They continue, "The Massacre really reflected a light on what was going on behind the scenes in this endless war in Vietnam, including making reference to the My Lai massacre involving Lieutenant William Calley."
EPISODE 24: SHORE LEAVE II. Written by Theodore Sturgeon, directed by John Meredyth Lucas. Air date, March 16, 1970. This is a sequel to the first season episode SHORE LEAVE. IRL, Gene Roddenberry did not want to baby Theodore Sturgeon because he had a habit of writing scripts slowly, but Justman gave him the time to develop this to its conclusion before he was fired, and it was placed into production. The episode is similar to the prequel, but Kirk finally gets a chance to pound (a fake) Finnegan into the dirt, which is something he's been waiting to do since his Academy days. Nielsen rating: 2nd to Gunsmoke. Audiences who liked the first SHORE LEAVE also approved of this version.
EPISODE 25: TOMORROW WAS YESTERDAY, PART I. Written by David Gerrold, directed by Herb Wallerstein. Air date: March 23, 1970. Gerrold explores the concept of the Enterprise meeting a relic ship launched from Earth 210 years ago. The generation ship crew is locked in suspended animation, similar to Khan's augments in Space Seed (which is where Gerrold gets the idea from). Once the Enterprise awakens the generation ship crew, serious conflicts erupt between the various members of the crew. It is discovered that the generation ship was launched from Earth to escape World War III, a nuclear conflict that killed at least 600 million and left large parts of Earth in ruins. As a result, the racial and ethnic animus between the two parts of the crew never abates, and they begin to fight about petty things that are completely resolved in the 23rd century. Kirk and the crew initially decide to let the crew fight amongst themselves, but Bones persuades Kirk that they have to begin repatriating these people, otherwise "they will never evolve and become enlightened."
Nielsen rating: 1st in time slot. The Boston Globe hails Gerrold as "one of the great young television writers of this generation. He has produced several stories that will stand the test of time. His ability to weave foreshadowing and conflict in the science fiction genre is unmatched."
EPISODE 26: TOMORROW WAS YESTERDAY, PART II. (SEASON FINALE). Air date, March 30, 1970. Gerrold solves the conflict between the two factions on the generation ship in a unique way. In the story, Kirk pairs up every three members of the relic ship crew with a member of his bridge crew. Therefore, we see conflicts between all 7 of the crew plus Chapel and their 21st century counterparts. This two-parter cost quite a bit to produce because they had to get a lot of extras to play the 21st century crew, but they were able to pull it off. In one confrontation, Uhura is racially abused by a member of the relic ship crew and lays down the law, 23rd century style. Sulu also faces abuse because of his Asian descent, as the 21st century WWIII involved an unnamed Asian country as one of the major nuclear powers. Chekov wins over his relic ship crew with his sense of humor, while Spock wins his relic ship crew over with logic. Scotty displays the engineering section of the Enterprise to the crew and volunteers to teach them the technical schematics. Bones introduces them to 23rd century medicine. At the end of the episode, Kirk tells the relic crew, which has successfully been integrated into the 23rd century, that "the 23rd century is a pretty nice place to live. You'll get used to it and become valuable members of our society."
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Also another thing about these last 4 episodes of season four: Aside from a firefight with the Orions that turns out to be a misunderstanding, there is no pew pew. Nobody dies, no ships get shot at, no major special effects are needed aside from Orion makeup. This is the very high-minded sci-fi that Roddenberry wanted to make when he created the show.
Last update. In April 1970, NBC, Gene Roddenberry, Douglas Cramer, David Gerrold, Matt Jefferies, and Leonard Nimoy were notified of Emmy nominations for Star Trek's 4th season. The nominations are as follows:
Outstanding Dramatic Series:
Star Trek (NBC), Marcus Welby M.D. (ABC), Ironside (NBC), The Forsyte Saga (NET), Gunsmoke (CBS), The Name of the Game (NBC)
Outstanding Dramatic Program:
Star Trek (Episode: Tomorrow Was Yesterday, Parts I and II), Hallmark Hall of Fame (NBC), David Copperfield (NBC), Marcus Welby, M.D. (Episode: Hello, Goodbye, Hello) (ABC)
Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama:
Leonard Nimoy, as Spock, Star Trek (NBC),
Josh Brolin, as Dr. Steven Kiley, Marcus Welby, M.D. (ABC)
Greg Morris, as Barney Collier, Mission Impossible (CBS)
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction or Scenic Design--For a Dramatic Program or Feature Length Film, a Single Program of a Series or a Special Program:
Star Trek, Walter Matt Jefferies, Jim Rugg and John M. Dwyer (NBC)
Man on the Moon: The Epic Journey of Apollo XI, Wesley Laws and Hugh Gray Raisky (CBS)
Mission Impossible, Lucien M. Hafley and Gibson Holley (CBS)
Shadow Game CBS Playhouse, Earl Carlson, Jan Scott (CBS)
Outstanding Dramatic Series:
Star Trek (NBC), Marcus Welby M.D. (ABC), Ironside (NBC), The Forsyte Saga (NET), Gunsmoke (CBS), The Name of the Game (NBC)
Outstanding Dramatic Program:
Star Trek (Episode: Tomorrow Was Yesterday, Parts I and II), Hallmark Hall of Fame (NBC), David Copperfield (NBC), Marcus Welby, M.D. (Episode: Hello, Goodbye, Hello) (ABC)
Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama:
Leonard Nimoy, as Spock, Star Trek (NBC),
Josh Brolin, as Dr. Steven Kiley, Marcus Welby, M.D. (ABC)
Greg Morris, as Barney Collier, Mission Impossible (CBS)
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction or Scenic Design--For a Dramatic Program or Feature Length Film, a Single Program of a Series or a Special Program:
Star Trek, Walter Matt Jefferies, Jim Rugg and John M. Dwyer (NBC)
Man on the Moon: The Epic Journey of Apollo XI, Wesley Laws and Hugh Gray Raisky (CBS)
Mission Impossible, Lucien M. Hafley and Gibson Holley (CBS)
Shadow Game CBS Playhouse, Earl Carlson, Jan Scott (CBS)
hammo1j
Donor
Thank you for doing so much better what I once tried to do.
Your dialogue is convincing and I find myself imagining the characters delivering the lines with all the accents. You get to insert the catchphrases perfectly.
Good luck with the rest of your TL...
Star Trek: Series 4, 1970 Episode Listing
If ST S4 got the green light what would the episode listing be? I have posted a template below, but please feel free to imagine how the Enterprise would boldly go into season 4 ala new actors, new stories, new Sfx and new themes.
www.alternatehistory.com
Your dialogue is convincing and I find myself imagining the characters delivering the lines with all the accents. You get to insert the catchphrases perfectly.
Good luck with the rest of your TL...
Thanks. I don't think my fanfic is THAT great but to do this timeline, I had to go into some of the inner workings of the relationships between the actors, the actors and the studio, the positioning of different persons as showrunners and creative control people in order to get the timeline to where I wanted. Neither Paramount nor NBC wanted to make the show after season 2 IRL, and I had to create a PoD within one of those entities (in this case NBC) to get the timeline rolling. So in this case, Paramount becomes the corporate villain that the fans get angry at, not NBC. It also meant creating a much different 3rd season, placing unproduced story ideas into action, and so forth. My biggest challenge is going to be getting through the fifth and final season because I don't have that much source material to work with. That's why I made some of my own additions, which is what I think good Trek would have looked like stylistically.
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I don't know if this has been asked but with the bigger budgets were the Klingons given head ridges in TTL's TOS?
No. The budget wasn't THAT big. They had to pay the actors a decent chunk of the money, so no head ridges for the Klingons yet.
A couple of notes. I found my PoD was largely OK after reading the first part of These are the Voyages, Season Three, but I have to add a couple of notes to the PoD. ITTL, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In is popular in its first season, but not the smash hit it became IRL. Therefore, they accept the move ITTL to 9:00 PM Monday night, after Star Trek at 8 PM. Additionally, in These are the Voyages, Season Three, Roddenberry considers moving Justman to first line producer IRL, but Justman leaves the show. ITTL, Roddenberry is told by NBC to take a back seat, so Justman becomes the show runner and Justman makes Fontana the co-producer with some creative control, along with her role as a script editor and writer. So my reasoning is for TTL that Justman and Fontana in charge would make better shows, which they do.
IRL Nimoy was nominated for supporting actor Emmys for each of the three seasons the show was on the air. He just didn't win the Emmy. This time however...
Some budgetary notes:
ITTL, Star Trek's season 3 makes budget because they only produce 25 episodes instead of the 26 they planned. In season 4, Paramount goes $125,000 in the red on the Star Trek budget, which is why Cramer is so upset. There's the devil's advocate argument for Cramer. But he's going to be taken by surprise when he sees how Star Trek does at the Emmys. It will throw his thinking about the show for a loop...
ITTL, Star Trek's season 3 makes budget because they only produce 25 episodes instead of the 26 they planned. In season 4, Paramount goes $125,000 in the red on the Star Trek budget, which is why Cramer is so upset. There's the devil's advocate argument for Cramer. But he's going to be taken by surprise when he sees how Star Trek does at the Emmys. It will throw his thinking about the show for a loop...
Also, some real commentary on Justman from John Dwyer (set decorator) in These are the Voyages, Season Three. This is not part of TTL, this is real life:
I consider Bob Justman one of the best production people I knew in the world. In 42 years of running around I never met anybody better, that's for sure. And he's a bit of a genius--especially a production genius. He did so much on that show. The man would make it go. Gene would come in every once in a while and say something, but Bobby was the one who made it go. And Matt [Jefferies] always used to say, 'You need anything answered 'yes' or 'no', go to Gene, but then go to Bob." (Cushman, These are the Voyages, Season Three, page 450-451, Kindle version)
So Justman's reputation ITTL will be enhanced A LOT, especially with what happens at the Emmys. IRL, they almost made Justman the show runner in season 3 before giving the job to Freiberger. Justman was going to get the keys to the castle before Roddenberry went behind his back to hire Freiberger to replace him on head of day to day operations going into season 3. So ITTL, that doesn't happen, and the 10 PM time slot doesn't happen because NBC tells Roddenberry to take a back seat and let someone else run the show. Roddenberry determines that he is tired after 4 years of fighting with NBC and decides, "to hell with it, Justman has the job. I'm just going to smooch up Majel for a bit and chill"
I consider Bob Justman one of the best production people I knew in the world. In 42 years of running around I never met anybody better, that's for sure. And he's a bit of a genius--especially a production genius. He did so much on that show. The man would make it go. Gene would come in every once in a while and say something, but Bobby was the one who made it go. And Matt [Jefferies] always used to say, 'You need anything answered 'yes' or 'no', go to Gene, but then go to Bob." (Cushman, These are the Voyages, Season Three, page 450-451, Kindle version)
So Justman's reputation ITTL will be enhanced A LOT, especially with what happens at the Emmys. IRL, they almost made Justman the show runner in season 3 before giving the job to Freiberger. Justman was going to get the keys to the castle before Roddenberry went behind his back to hire Freiberger to replace him on head of day to day operations going into season 3. So ITTL, that doesn't happen, and the 10 PM time slot doesn't happen because NBC tells Roddenberry to take a back seat and let someone else run the show. Roddenberry determines that he is tired after 4 years of fighting with NBC and decides, "to hell with it, Justman has the job. I'm just going to smooch up Majel for a bit and chill"
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Some world events that occur in 1970:
April 10: The Beatles break up when Paul McCartney announces he is no longer a member of the group. A 5th season Star Trek episode will be a modified, much better version of the IRL 3rd season episode THE WAY TO EDEN, and will bring McCartney onto the show as the leader of a popular 23rd century band. McCartney is a big Star Trek TOS fan IRL so he does the cameo at a discounted price ITTL. The McCartney cameo will cement the show's popularity in the UK.
April 17: Apollo 13 almost encounters disaster, but survives its aborted mission to land back on Earth. Story ideas are bandied about to simulate what happened on Apollo 13 in Star Trek, but the producers say that the Enterprise gets into trouble every week, so they don't go that route.
April 29: Nixon invades Cambodia, and Star Trek uses this real life incident to show a more imperialistic Federation under President Norman attempting to invade the Gorn hegemony. So we see a couple of Gorn back on the show.
May 4: Kent State shootings: They turn this into an episode as well. At anti-Orion war protests on Earth, several protesters are killed by Starfleet officers. Kirk and the Enterprise crew confront Starfleet Command again about what has happened in the Orion war. They can't get Cary Grant to play President Norman again because he retires from acting for good, so Admiral Komack (Byron Morrow) comes back to play the villain.
April 10: The Beatles break up when Paul McCartney announces he is no longer a member of the group. A 5th season Star Trek episode will be a modified, much better version of the IRL 3rd season episode THE WAY TO EDEN, and will bring McCartney onto the show as the leader of a popular 23rd century band. McCartney is a big Star Trek TOS fan IRL so he does the cameo at a discounted price ITTL. The McCartney cameo will cement the show's popularity in the UK.
April 17: Apollo 13 almost encounters disaster, but survives its aborted mission to land back on Earth. Story ideas are bandied about to simulate what happened on Apollo 13 in Star Trek, but the producers say that the Enterprise gets into trouble every week, so they don't go that route.
April 29: Nixon invades Cambodia, and Star Trek uses this real life incident to show a more imperialistic Federation under President Norman attempting to invade the Gorn hegemony. So we see a couple of Gorn back on the show.
May 4: Kent State shootings: They turn this into an episode as well. At anti-Orion war protests on Earth, several protesters are killed by Starfleet officers. Kirk and the Enterprise crew confront Starfleet Command again about what has happened in the Orion war. They can't get Cary Grant to play President Norman again because he retires from acting for good, so Admiral Komack (Byron Morrow) comes back to play the villain.
Chapter 46: Butterflies from Season Four
Two updates for today. I'm going to move forward into June 1970, when the Emmys take place IRL. Production for Star Trek's fifth and final season starts in April 1970.
AT OSCARS, CARY GRANT RECEIVES HONORARY AWARD, RETIRES FROM ACTING
April 8, 1970
Cary Grant announced his permanent retirement from acting after accepting his honorary Academy Award from Frank Sinatra last night. The 66-year old legend said that he was humbled to receive the lifetime achievement award from the Academy and decided to leave Hollywood on top of his fame. Grant said, "There is a new generation of actors behind me that are extremely talented and will carry on the legacy that I and other stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood built. I believe I even saw some of them in person last year, when I worked on a television show for the first time. Hollywood is in excellent, young talented hands." He continued, "I want to devote the rest of my life to raising my daughter, Jennifer. She is my pride and joy. I initially retired in 1966, but only came out of retirement one last time because Jennifer, who was three at the time, wanted me to meet a certain alien character on a television show." Later on in the speech, Grant talked about collaboration, and how actors had to join together to make Hollywood a better place for all.
RODDENBERRY CALLS ON THE FANBASE FOR STORY IDEAS
April 13, 1970
Gene Roddenberry, back in control of the Star Trek franchise, decided to spread the net out far and wide for story ideas for the fifth and final season of Star Trek. He asked the large Star Trek fanbase to contribute possible story ideas, as long as they had a literary agent. "This does not mean that David Gerrold, Theodore Sturgeon, DC Fontana and the other writers will have a reduced role next season," Roddenberry said. "Most of my scripts are going to be written by myself, David, and the other professional writers. We are just looking for a few good story ideas from the fanbase. They produce some great fan fiction, and we believe that a couple of submissions could be produced into episodes." Roddenberry continued, "We did that in the third season, and got an excellent episode called The Empath, from a young writer named Joyce Muskat. We hope to add two or three young talented writers to our crew to make the fifth and final season as good as ever." Roddenberry will begin accepting scripts immediately. It will be interesting to see what the Star Trek fanbase produces in terms of storylines.
CRAMER ATTEMPTS TO MAKE PEACE WITH STAR TREK CAST AFTER EMMY NODS
May 4, 1970
Douglas S. Cramer, who has been receiving it from all sides regarding his treatment of the hit series Star Trek, is slowly changing his tune about the series. Cramer, who is not a science fiction fan, was given orders to end the series in 1968 by his superiors at Gulf+Western, the conglomerate that owns Paramount. However, Star Trek shot to the top of the ratings, and Cramer was forced to live uncomfortably with a series he did not like, but was widely popular. Cramer said, "I did not know that Star Trek would receive this much critical acclaim. The show is favored to win four Emmys this year. If it wins, I will be known as the man who killed a multiple Emmy-winning show, and I will look like a dope." Cramer is attempting a rapprochement with the cast, and is considering producing Star Trek TV movies after the show is slated to end its run as a series in 1971. Cramer said, "I've been very tough on that cast. I gave them the impossible to do, and they somehow did it. Robert Justman proved to be a genius, and might become a rival producer to me in the coming years. I want to be on his good side again, because he'll be tough to compete against if he ever runs a studio."
Roddenberry:
When I decided to introduce the wider fanbase to the idea of submitting scripts for Star Trek, I thought I would get high-minded science fiction, like I did when Joyce Muskat wrote The Empath. Instead, I think half of the fan submissions I received involved some homoerotic angle between Kirk and Spock, and I obviously could not produce them. They were actually well-written stories, those homoerotic ones. However, Bill and Leonard would never agree to shooting them. I showed one to Bill and Leonard, and they had a huge laugh. Some of the stories were extremely graphic in a sexual nature, with pictures of genitalia and everything. Later on, I discovered that George Takei was a big fan of the Kirk and Spock love stories, and he took some of the fan fiction home for his edification.
Cramer:
I didn't know what I had in Star Trek. I thought it was a dopey, schlocky science fiction series that made no sense. The fact that it became so popular to a national audience was the biggest surprise I have ever encountered in show business. As it proved, I turned out to be the dope that killed a multiple Emmy-winning show in its prime. So I tried to make it back up to the cast, but they were not interested in making any more Star Trek. Gene and I did get them back together to make one TV movie, written by Alan Dean Foster, in 1972, when I became an independent producer who still had ties to Paramount, which was a success. This later hinted at the franchise's success on the silver screen.
Shatner:
I read a couple of the stories which showed Kirk and Spock in a serious sexual relationship, and I laughed. George Takei really liked them, and we didn't know why at the time. So he decided to start a Kirk and Spock fan fiction collection.
Nimoy:
Those stories with Kirk and Spock in a homosexual relationship were off the wall!
Kelley:
The fans even put me in some homosexual relationships. Those fans were creative as all get out. I obviously got a kick out of it.
Takei:
When I saw some of the fan fiction that came in, I was like, Ohhhhhh myyyyyy! So I brought some of them home to read and keep. I still have a few old dusty Kirk/Spock fan fiction stories from the 1970s on my bookshelf.
Nichols:
They had me in relationships with everyone. Those fan fiction stories were raunchy! One of them actually came to pass in real life for a short time. There was a Scotty and Uhura story, and for a brief time after the series ended, I dated James Doohan. Both of us were going through divorces, and we decided to start a relationship. It lasted for about a year, but we didn't get married or anything like that.
Jennifer Grant (Cary Grant's daughter):
I still have the little Spock ears that the original series production crew made for me when I was a toddler. They are among my most treasured possessions. Some of my fondest memories with Dad were when he played space alien with me and we put the ears on each other. It made me a Star Trek fan for life, and I later appeared in a few guest roles on the Next Generation and Deep Space Nine.
AT OSCARS, CARY GRANT RECEIVES HONORARY AWARD, RETIRES FROM ACTING
April 8, 1970
Cary Grant announced his permanent retirement from acting after accepting his honorary Academy Award from Frank Sinatra last night. The 66-year old legend said that he was humbled to receive the lifetime achievement award from the Academy and decided to leave Hollywood on top of his fame. Grant said, "There is a new generation of actors behind me that are extremely talented and will carry on the legacy that I and other stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood built. I believe I even saw some of them in person last year, when I worked on a television show for the first time. Hollywood is in excellent, young talented hands." He continued, "I want to devote the rest of my life to raising my daughter, Jennifer. She is my pride and joy. I initially retired in 1966, but only came out of retirement one last time because Jennifer, who was three at the time, wanted me to meet a certain alien character on a television show." Later on in the speech, Grant talked about collaboration, and how actors had to join together to make Hollywood a better place for all.
RODDENBERRY CALLS ON THE FANBASE FOR STORY IDEAS
April 13, 1970
Gene Roddenberry, back in control of the Star Trek franchise, decided to spread the net out far and wide for story ideas for the fifth and final season of Star Trek. He asked the large Star Trek fanbase to contribute possible story ideas, as long as they had a literary agent. "This does not mean that David Gerrold, Theodore Sturgeon, DC Fontana and the other writers will have a reduced role next season," Roddenberry said. "Most of my scripts are going to be written by myself, David, and the other professional writers. We are just looking for a few good story ideas from the fanbase. They produce some great fan fiction, and we believe that a couple of submissions could be produced into episodes." Roddenberry continued, "We did that in the third season, and got an excellent episode called The Empath, from a young writer named Joyce Muskat. We hope to add two or three young talented writers to our crew to make the fifth and final season as good as ever." Roddenberry will begin accepting scripts immediately. It will be interesting to see what the Star Trek fanbase produces in terms of storylines.
CRAMER ATTEMPTS TO MAKE PEACE WITH STAR TREK CAST AFTER EMMY NODS
May 4, 1970
Douglas S. Cramer, who has been receiving it from all sides regarding his treatment of the hit series Star Trek, is slowly changing his tune about the series. Cramer, who is not a science fiction fan, was given orders to end the series in 1968 by his superiors at Gulf+Western, the conglomerate that owns Paramount. However, Star Trek shot to the top of the ratings, and Cramer was forced to live uncomfortably with a series he did not like, but was widely popular. Cramer said, "I did not know that Star Trek would receive this much critical acclaim. The show is favored to win four Emmys this year. If it wins, I will be known as the man who killed a multiple Emmy-winning show, and I will look like a dope." Cramer is attempting a rapprochement with the cast, and is considering producing Star Trek TV movies after the show is slated to end its run as a series in 1971. Cramer said, "I've been very tough on that cast. I gave them the impossible to do, and they somehow did it. Robert Justman proved to be a genius, and might become a rival producer to me in the coming years. I want to be on his good side again, because he'll be tough to compete against if he ever runs a studio."
Roddenberry:
When I decided to introduce the wider fanbase to the idea of submitting scripts for Star Trek, I thought I would get high-minded science fiction, like I did when Joyce Muskat wrote The Empath. Instead, I think half of the fan submissions I received involved some homoerotic angle between Kirk and Spock, and I obviously could not produce them. They were actually well-written stories, those homoerotic ones. However, Bill and Leonard would never agree to shooting them. I showed one to Bill and Leonard, and they had a huge laugh. Some of the stories were extremely graphic in a sexual nature, with pictures of genitalia and everything. Later on, I discovered that George Takei was a big fan of the Kirk and Spock love stories, and he took some of the fan fiction home for his edification.
Cramer:
I didn't know what I had in Star Trek. I thought it was a dopey, schlocky science fiction series that made no sense. The fact that it became so popular to a national audience was the biggest surprise I have ever encountered in show business. As it proved, I turned out to be the dope that killed a multiple Emmy-winning show in its prime. So I tried to make it back up to the cast, but they were not interested in making any more Star Trek. Gene and I did get them back together to make one TV movie, written by Alan Dean Foster, in 1972, when I became an independent producer who still had ties to Paramount, which was a success. This later hinted at the franchise's success on the silver screen.
Shatner:
I read a couple of the stories which showed Kirk and Spock in a serious sexual relationship, and I laughed. George Takei really liked them, and we didn't know why at the time. So he decided to start a Kirk and Spock fan fiction collection.
Nimoy:
Those stories with Kirk and Spock in a homosexual relationship were off the wall!
Kelley:
The fans even put me in some homosexual relationships. Those fans were creative as all get out. I obviously got a kick out of it.
Takei:
When I saw some of the fan fiction that came in, I was like, Ohhhhhh myyyyyy! So I brought some of them home to read and keep. I still have a few old dusty Kirk/Spock fan fiction stories from the 1970s on my bookshelf.
Nichols:
They had me in relationships with everyone. Those fan fiction stories were raunchy! One of them actually came to pass in real life for a short time. There was a Scotty and Uhura story, and for a brief time after the series ended, I dated James Doohan. Both of us were going through divorces, and we decided to start a relationship. It lasted for about a year, but we didn't get married or anything like that.
Jennifer Grant (Cary Grant's daughter):
I still have the little Spock ears that the original series production crew made for me when I was a toddler. They are among my most treasured possessions. Some of my fondest memories with Dad were when he played space alien with me and we put the ears on each other. It made me a Star Trek fan for life, and I later appeared in a few guest roles on the Next Generation and Deep Space Nine.
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Why can I see the McCartney - Beatles split being a temp thing? They just needed someone to some and manage Apple so the band could be a band again. Lots of suggestions on the AH Beatles thread. There are ways to keep the band!
When/What are the ‘interview’ bits from in the posts?
How involved are the cast in the Fanzines going on at the time?
It would be harlarious is Shatner and Nimoy half jokingly ‘acted’ out one of those scripts and someone (Gene) ‘accidentally’ recorded it to play at Cons...
Is Walter going to be come part of Roddenbury’ team for his Mail order shop?
Are film cells still be stolen for Roddenberry so he can sell them in his nail order catalogue?
Is Roddenberry looking to pitch anything else now Trek is ending?
With more Trek, is there generally more interest in Sci-Fi? Might a certain British Show about a Doctor catch on in the US eariler?
Has NASA gone through its budget cuts yet? Is the space race still a thing?
When/What are the ‘interview’ bits from in the posts?
How involved are the cast in the Fanzines going on at the time?
It would be harlarious is Shatner and Nimoy half jokingly ‘acted’ out one of those scripts and someone (Gene) ‘accidentally’ recorded it to play at Cons...
Is Walter going to be come part of Roddenbury’ team for his Mail order shop?
Are film cells still be stolen for Roddenberry so he can sell them in his nail order catalogue?
Is Roddenberry looking to pitch anything else now Trek is ending?
With more Trek, is there generally more interest in Sci-Fi? Might a certain British Show about a Doctor catch on in the US eariler?
Has NASA gone through its budget cuts yet? Is the space race still a thing?
In 1972? I'm trying to avoid major electoral politics butterflies so Nixon is elected in 68 like IRL and probably wins in 72 because he breaks the Solid Democratic South. There's nothing that Star Trek can realistically do even with two extra seasons to change that. Plus, my PoD doesn't affect the 1968 election so Nixon is already President ITTL and he's constantly politicking to bring the South over to the GOP anyway. Maybe there's a closer election by a point or two, but the only way to really change the 1972 election is if Muskie is nominated (HHH would be a renominated loser at the top of the Democratic ticket) or Watergate explodes into a full blown scandal far more quickly. A major butterfly mentioned in the timeline is Nixon's inspiration to go to China coming from an episode of Star Trek...
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There were intractable issues between McCartney, Lennon, Ringo and George Harrison. They all needed to go their separate ways at that point. It could be a temp thing ITTL but I haven't changed the Beatles at all ITTL so the split happens. I could keep Lennon alive if you want.
I make up the interview bits based on how I think each person would talk in real life.
The cast isn't that involved with the fanzines because they are still making the show. Doohan is the most involved and personally writes a few letters to fanzine writers.
It's possible that Walter becomes part of Gene's team for the mail order shop. Gene wants to protect his main cast.
Roddenberry works on Wings with McCartney as he does in real life, and tries to sell the IDIC pendant a lot more aggressively.
Tom Baker becomes a HUGE star on American TV in the 1970s on PBS, where Doctor Who is primarily aired. American fans don't catch on to Jon Pertwee's characterization as the Doctor, but they love Baker, another Scouser.
NASA is still launching Apollo missions to the moon in 1970. The budget cuts still occur because of the Vietnam War, but they are not as aggressive as they are IRL.
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Another thing about the fanzines to Ogrebear: DC Fontana read Spockanalia, which was the first fanzine, and adopted some ideas from that to use on the show IRL. So she and the other script writers were actually involved in looking at that material more than the cast was. Nimoy wrote a short letter to that fanzine, and Doohan, DeForest Kelley, and Walter Koenig also wrote longer pieces. Doohan gets involved the most because he loves the fanbase the most.
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